www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I don't have a lot of experience in rearing butterflies and still have many questions and have made many mistakes so I am eagerly awaiting the Guidelines. I thought I had killed my little WA cats (slugs? Heat?) as when I checked the little Honeysuckle sprig the other day I could not find them (...and how often do you have to replace the food plant if it is not planted? - that might seem obvious but one day the leaves look OK and the next day they are dead and shrivelled!). Anyway, after my initial panic I realised that the cats had decamped to other leaves! Now, why would they do that??? The original leaves looked perfectly OK and they had invested a lot of time and effort into creating their little platforms, and had to start all over again. ... so why do they even do that??? I can only assume it is a survival strategy - either a camouflage (which certainly works very well as when they lie there with all that frass on their backs it is incredibly hard to see them as they blend in so well, and yes, that is how they seem to carry it around and can be seen picking it up in one of my shots). An alternative could be to provide some safety from predators - after all, if they have eaten all the leaf around them and are isolated on this little platform I would imagine certain predators have only limited access. One final dilemma is whether these tiny cats should be exposed to the forecast thunderstorms or should they have a measure of protection. A photographic update below:

They go into hibernation when still very small, usually in mid-August but in this exceptional year, maybe earlier and that could mean reduced numbers come next summer.

They prepare a leaf turning it into a short small dry tube with their jaws and silk. They will stay inside there come rain wind or shine until late winter early spring when feeding activity resumes. Best to overwinter them on growing foodplant. Honeysuckle is easy to propagate from cuttings . Even placed in water until roots appear then transferring to pots of suitable compost. Garden soil will do.

I grew Honeysuckle up around the wire frame of large pots netted over. The design like those in the bottom right of this picture only larger. I have overwintered numerous species of butterfly in this simple design which is very successful with close on 100% survival of occupants provided you check regularly all is well and be ever watchful for predators which are still about even in the cold depths of winter.



The above picture is a digital image taken of a 6" x 4" Print from the 1970s hence iffy quality.

Hi Pauline, I am playing catch up again. Congratulations on your valesina SWF

Reading about you Peacocks brought back memories of last year when I reared a dozen from larvae from my garden. I missed the emergence of mine, 9 out of 12 emerged whilst I was at work and the remaining 3 were out when I got up the next morning. I released them all back into the garden and couldn't help wondering if any of the ones that I saw there this spring were any of those individuals. No way of telling but I like to think so

All the best,

Neil.

I'm playing catch-up too Pauline, great valesina and great sequence of your Peacock emerging, you've also captured some great early stages shots as well

Mike

I very much appreciate your helpful advice CC but what about thunderstorms and torrential rain whilst they are still tiny cats? Cover them up or let them take their chance?

Thank you Mike. The Valesina was quite exciting.... as was the other stuff actually

Evening Neil - given that I have probably just released close on 30 Peacocks I reckon I had a better chance than you to see them emerge - and today the last one did just that . It might be a common butterfly and it might be a totally unremarkable event to some, BUT, to me, it was anything but common and totally remarkable. The last emergence:
I shall not forget this experience - nor shall I repeat it. As beautiful and engaging as the Peacocks are there is still so much out there that I have yet to see.

Lovely sequence, Pauline. I reared Peacock as a child but I obviously never captured them on film when they were emerging.

Looks like may thousands have successfully pupated given the numbers I saw at Aston Rowant today,

Wonderful sequence, Pauline. I share your sense of wonder The first shot reminded me of some sort of tribal mask!

Mike

Stunning sequence of shots Pauline

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thank you Wurzel and David. I have thoroughly enjoyed rearing them - not that I actually did much except to watch and record

Thank you too Mike - yes, it certainly does look like a mask tho' I hadn't noticed 'til you pointed it out.

Today I met up with a friend for a spot of caterpillar hunting and although we found a few they weren't the one I wanted to find. They were very interesting none the less and I had not seen any of them before. First was the Grey Dagger which was a very impressive looking cat:
Next was a cat which I have yet to identify but which mimics a twig:
However, we were both delighted to see a spanking new Painted Lady. Although she didn't settle in any spot for long it was a joy to see her, immaculate in every respect:
Last but not least, on our way back we were pleased to find a couple of WA cats:

.... very much out on a limb!!!

Pauline wrote:.......given that I have probably just released close on 30 Peacocks I reckon I had a better chance....... to see them emerge - and today the last one did just that . It might be a common butterfly and it might be a totally unremarkable event to some, BUT, to me, it was anything but common and totally remarkable.

Superb Peacock hatching sequence, Pauline .
You adopted a different camera angle to the usual side view, which added another dimension to the event. Lovely clear, well focused shots. Expect a PM with a list soon

Vince

It is very kind of you to say so Vince but I was using a tripod on this occasion, rather than the usual hand held shots I usually take! I deliberately chose that angle but I wish I'd cropped the shot where the butterfly is kicking his legs out of the membrane as I thought that was an interesting one.

It would be remiss of me to finish with the Peacocks without posting some shots of the imago - after all, that's what it was all about. It was remarkably difficult however to get open-winged shots because as soon as the butterflies had dried, almost without exception, they just took off. Consequently, I just took the photos on whatever plant they happened to land on. They are incredibly beautiful when this fresh and for me that includes the underside also.
Is this some sort of aberration or something else I have done wrong?
Interestingly, whilst the Peacocks were drying their wings, a Red Admiral spent some considerable time in a state of excitement trying to land on one - it was unfortunate that I couldn't get them both in the same shot but the Peacock was on a nettle in a jar on this table:
On the same day that these Peacocks emerged, I recorded more butterflies in my garden (both species and numbers) than I have ever seen in all the years I have been here. Many Gatekeepers and Meadow Brown, a single Comma, SWF and a tatty White Admiral along with the usual Whites. However, what surprised me most were the 4 or 5 Small Skippers whizzing round the front garden, especially when one female stopped to ovipost on the grasses in the pond!!! My front lawn now looks very interesting as I have mowed around all the clumps of grass where I felt there was a possibility of more Skipper eggs

Hi Pauline

Your aberrant Peacock looks like somebody spilt water on it before the paint dried

A bit like those 'tie-and-dye' t-shirts that used to be the rage many years ago - or are you too young to remember them Paul?

I was delighted to see 4 Clouded Yellow flying together yesterday at MHD. For some time I despaired of getting a shot of any of them as they continued to torment me by settling for only a second or two. In fact, I resorted to some aerial shots as 'proof' but I could only get 2 of the 4 in this shot (just on the skyline by the bush) :
At last I managed a few snatched shots but even when the sky blackened with thunder clouds their frantic activity continued. I think there were 2 females, 1 male and I am not sure about the other:
I did not see the Long Tailed Blue that had been reported from there earlier but it was nice to see the second brood Small Blue:

Really nice Small Blue shots and well done at getting some Yellow!!

Thank you Bob. I was very pleased to see this one today too . Mindful of the need to get a backlit shot to aid identification I think I have done that even tho' the consequence was bringing home lots of ticks . Can someone please confirm it is a Helice?

Hi Pauline,

Nice Clouded Yellows and Small Blues, I rather like the shot of the CYs above the flowery hillside, very evocative of summer days

Assuming that it is not a Bergers or Pale Clouded Yellow , then you have a nice helice there (this is where one of the experts comes in and corrects me ).

All the best ,

Neil.

Thank you Neil - it is a pity about the pylon. I reckon you are right about the Helice tho'. Guy must get sick and tired of being asked the same questions so I looked up the last time he explained the difference between Pale and Helice, and I'm pretty sure it's the latter. Today I am grounded as I have an anaesthetised fox in the kitchen and I have instructions to monitor him until he comes round although his future is very uncertain and dependent upon the results of blood tests later today. Chance is probably about 11 years old now and becoming very frail but he will be missed badly by his mate Foxy:
Whilst I watch him I shall continue with the next installment of my diary. I have resolved not to visit Oxenbourne again - at least not this year. Having knelt down to photograph an egg-laying SSS I found myself covered with sheep tick larva - I'm talking hundreds . My clothes looked like they had been sprinkled with black dust which moved of it's own accord and quickly spread all over my body. I tried to shake them off, pick them off - I almost stripped off there and then . Having removed a couple of hundred I quickly returned home and stripped off there before removing dozens more (goodness knows how many I'm still feeding ). All my clothes were washed at a high temperature and dried for an hour so I was horrified to find them still crawling with these ticks when they were removed from the dryer! I expect they will be binned!

Anyway, I saw more SSS in a short time than I have done for years, including 3 really fresh females which were all egg-laying which is great news
Given the fresh females there was a lot of excitement and courtship behaviour and I was not surprised to see a mating pair - my first ever. I did not recognise them as such initially, thinking they were simply sitting side by side, but I have seen WLH mate in this position. Not as tidy or photogenic as Bob's recent sighting but I was very pleased to witness it:
This is also the first time I have seen a SSS ovi-posting and I was also able to find several eggs. I also reckon this is when I picked up all the tick larva!!
I think a coastal location is on the cards next - or at least a venue where ticks are less likely!

Hi Pauline

I was born in the 60s if that helps

It is encouraging to hear Silver Spotted Skipper numbers are increasing at Oxenbourne. I was there again on Sunday and only saw perhaps half a dozen males and no females.
I spent several hours there sitting, kneeling down etc and also wading through shoulder high vegetation down in the valley and saw no ticks whatsoever. I am obviously not trying hard enough In fact I can only ever recall seeing one tick there ever. You obviously have something I dont ................
Which is maybe why you get all the best shots. The pair of Silver Spotted Skippers on Bramble are lovely

Fantastic stuff Pauline - I go away for a few days camping and it all kicks off over your neck of the woods Your Peacocks are stunning - partially blind? Silver Spots brill but the Helice is a right "envy inducer"

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Great Helice photos Pauline also great that you saw your first mating SSS and ovipositing females, plus eggs Your reared peacocks are real stunners

Mike